CHAPTER 1

Monday, September 6, 2010.

A few weeks ago, a year had passed since the disappearance of Alison DiLaurentis. Everything in the town seemed to be the same, but for some people nothing would ever be the same.

I, Elizabeth Jacob, had only been in this town for a year and a month and already felt as if I had spent an eternity there. I was involved in a disappearance case involving a girl I had only known for two weeks, but because of her I had already gotten into more trouble than I had in my entire life.

Before my arrival in Rosewood, I was not going through very good times, due to the tragic death of my mother and my brother, after the car accident caused by my drunk father. The four of us were in the car, but only my father and I managed to survive. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive my father, he is currently serving a 15-year sentence in a Philadelphia city prison.

Now, I live with my paternal grandmother in Rosewood, the only family I have left, apart from my aunt who lives in Edinburgh with her partner. It was complicated to move to a different town than where I was born, but I think that being this place was even more complicated. Apart from all the mysteries that await it and the complicated relationship I have with my grandmother. She doesn't forgive me for not being perfect and outgoing like her.

I wake up after a nightmare of the accident that ruined my life. I don't have as many nightmares as I used to, but they're still strong enough to make me feel pretty bad for the rest of the day.

It's 6:30 and I can't imagine going back to that school again. The dust had calmed down a bit a year after Alison's disappearance, but sometimes they still looked accusingly at those of us who were with her that night.

I haven't talked much to the rest of the girls since the night Alison disappeared. I think that having only been in her group for two weeks until that night, they don't trust me much, much less knowing that we shared certain important secrets from that time.

After finishing wallowing in my misery, I get up, get ready and go downstairs to prepare my breakfast which I will eat while I walk and leave the house before my grandmother wakes up.

I will leave the house an hour early, but I have learned that the less time I spend with her, the better chance I will have of surviving these remaining years living with her. Every time we have a conversation, she tell me how not proud she is of me and that I am her granddaughter, which is why I am not particularly fond of her.

My grandmother sold the car that my parents gave me when I got my driving license, because she said I didn't deserve it and I would end up having an accident, so I always have to walk everywhere, and she will never take me either. Likewise, since the accident, I am not able to be in a car without almost having a panic attack, but, sometimes, it would not hurt to have one.

It's a 30-minute walk from my house to the school and I have to meet more people than I would like along the way, so I put on my headphones with classical music while I arrive at my cruel destination.

Once I get there, there is still half an hour before classes start, so I take the opportunity to leave my things in the locker before the hallway is full of teenagers. When I have left all the things that I would not need for the next class, I get into the class even though it is still empty to get the idea that I will be trapped here again.

Now we have English class with a new teacher. Little by little they enter class. I'm surprised when I see Aria, because I've seen the rest of the girls, even though they've already entered, all year, but Aria left, just a few weeks after Alison disappeared, to Iceland with her family.

They all separated throughout this year, Aria because she went to Iceland and the others because they were not able to meet again as before, after that traumatic night. I tried to talk to them after all, but I didn't see them with much enthusiasm to continue a friendly relationship with me, I saw them looking at me with quite a bit of distrust, so I gave up, and I didn't try to make friends in this town again.

I'm also not usually comfortable with people, so I didn't try very hard, and I'm not usually liked very much, because of my peculiarities. They had been the only ones I had felt somewhat comfortable with when I arrived in Rosewood, but they clearly weren't too happy about it.

When we are all in class, after a few glances that both them and the others give me, since I am with headphones and with the hood of my blue sweatshirt on, the new English teacher enters class. I take off my headphones with great displeasure because I can't stand loud noises when everyone is still talking, but I didn't want to give the teacher a bad impression on the first day.

The teacher finally begins with his introduction, his name is Ezra Fitz, he seems quite young, so I imagine that he has not been working as a teacher for long. He continues introducing himself a little until he looks towards the middle of the class, near where Aria, Emily and a few others in the class are, I'm right at the table next to Aria, and says: 'Shit.'

At that same moment, Aria's cell phone also rings and we all look in her direction. We are all quite surprised, but we continue after an apology from Aria and the continuation of Mr. Fitz from class. Everything goes back to normal.

When class ends, Emily and Aria stay talking, and Spencer and Hanna greet her for a moment, but then they separate again. It seems like they still don't know how to get back together.

As I leave the class, I only get a slightly strange look from them, and I prepare to go to my next class, Mathematics, another nightmare of being in high school. It seemed like my only problem now was going to be math class, but I got a message that said: ''It looks like you won't have a good year this year, I hope your grandmother doesn't find out that you were the one who stole her relic, kisses- A''.

Happy new course to me, I guess.